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Did you know that the August Long Weekend is not observed in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and the Yukon? A travesty, an absolute travesty. Thank goodness we’re in Alberta and off for the civic holiday. The weather is supposed to be smokin’ hot and we’re driving up to the lakefront cabin of one of the Toque parents’. The packing couldn’t be easier: bikinis, sundresses and flip flops. And books, books, books galore. We tend to release our inner geeks anytime we get on vacation. (Case in point: one young sister was horrified several years ago when we insisted on bringing the big Bill Clinton biography — hard-cover version, hot off the press — to the beach for a double date with two hot, hot Greek soccer players. Turns out that soccer players don’t really dig political science).

Whatever, hot, hot soccer players. You were kind of sweaty anyway. We happily read on. Our choices for this weekend:

Come Thou Tortoise: a super funny first-ever novel from Newfoundland writer Jessica Grant. The intro’s so good that it’s driven our own first novel into hiding somewhere deep in our imaginations and it’s refusing to come out. Performance anxiety, you know?

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: one Toque read it and finished it in a day (she took the afternoon off and hid out in bed). Definitely worth passing on.

Degrees of Nakedness: Book of short stories by another favourite Newfoundland author, Lisa Moore. Good name for a vacation book, no?